Cryo-EM uniqueness in structure determination of macromolecular complexes: A selected structural anthology.

Stavros Azinas, Marta Carroni

Current opinion in structural biology 2023 Aug

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Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has become in the past 10 years one of the major tools for the structure determination of proteins. Nowadays, the structure prediction field is experiencing the same revolution and, using AlphaFold2, it is possible to have high-confidence atomic models for virtually any polypeptide chain, smaller than 4000 amino acids, in a simple click. Even in a scenario where all polypeptide chain folding were to be known, cryo-EM retains specific characteristics that make it a unique tool for the structure determination of macromolecular complexes. Using cryo-EM, it is possible to obtain near-atomic structures of large and flexible mega-complexes, describe conformational panoramas, and potentially develop a structural proteomic approach from fully ex vivo specimens. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Citation

Stavros Azinas, Marta Carroni. Cryo-EM uniqueness in structure determination of macromolecular complexes: A selected structural anthology. Current opinion in structural biology. 2023 Aug;81:102621